The Mech Touch

"Now, all of you might be asking, why would a single mech design warrant such a serious warning?"

Ves looked at the darkened area where the invited guests all clung to his words. From the start, he managed to capture their attention! Hardly any of them turned away from him in order to chat with each other!

"The reason for that is because it is more than a mech. Before I unveil it to you, let me begin with the necessity of such a machine."

He steadily began to explain the current condition in the star sector.

"Here in the Komodo Star Sector, war and chaos is rife. The explosive conflicts that erupted in recent times has broken the long pattern of peace that has reigned throughout our stars. The Sand War has pushed many states to the brink while annihilating dozens more. The Komodo War that is taking place between the two dominant states of our star sector is constantly threatening to spill over the lesser states. Even here, the Sentinel Kingdom's stability is threatened by the relentless Nyxian pirates!"

He momentarily closed his eyes.

"That is just a portion of the conflicts taking place in a single star sector. Other star sectors such as Vicious Mountain and Majestic Teal are no doubt becoming more precarious as well. Wherever there are humans, there are fights. This has never changed throughout our long and bumpy history."

Ves smiled. "Our latest mech is designed to meet the needs of today. While it is useful in many different conflicts, it is particularly geared towards repelling raiders in space."

He lifted his arm, causing the large projections to showcase battle footage of numerous random pirate raids that had happened in recent times.

"Whenever there is conflict, there is chaos. Law and order breaks down as it becomes more and more difficult to keep the peace. Pirates and criminals in space who believe they can resort to force to rob legitimate trade convoys and sow destruction for no logical reason will always emerge from the darkest corners of human space!"

This was an especially pertinent remark towards the Sentinel nobles attending this event. Their faces turned ugly in the shadow as they recalled all of the death and destruction the Nyxian pirates had inflicted on their territories. The Friedmont Massacre was by far the most egregious atrocity the pirates had committed, and everyone feared a repeat!

"In my short but very eventful service in the Bright Republic's Mech Corps, I have learned an important. Pirates are scum. Criminals are scum. They are hooligans with mechs, relying almost entirely on the power of their equipment to do the heavy lifting! Honor, discipline, restraint and duty are foreign concepts to this kind of ilk! On an even playing field, they are no match to proper outfits or well-trained military troops!"

A few people in the audience chuckled in agreement. Others frowned a bit.

Most pirates were weak, but some of them stood above the rest! A top pirate organization could be just as formidable as an elite large-scale outfit!

Nonetheless, they were rather rare. Most pirates barely managed to keep their mechs and ships in working condition!

"Wouldn't it be great if battles were won by the quality of the mech pilot?" Ves rhetorically asked. "Wouldn't it be fair if an elite mech pilot who received a lot of investment can always vanquish against a wastrel who hasn't even graduated from a mech academy?"

Ves lowered his head. The projections shifted towards depictions of shameful defeats. The mercenary mechs depicted in the footage were all fine machines, but they were overwhelmed by three to ten times the number of mechs!

Most of them were grossly inferior to the machines piloted by the mercenaries.

"Sadly, the pirates never play fair. There are plenty of times where you bring a squad of mechs, only for a pirate foe to surround you with a company of mechs."

The footage switched to the rare cases where a regular mercenary corps confronted a smaller number of elite pirate mechs!

"The opposite may also be true! Perhaps you are able to field more mechs, but the pirates are able to bring out vastly-superior machines that can run rings around your outfit!"

All of these incidents were possible. In fact, they had already happened far too many times to count! The nobles and commoners of the Sentinel Kingdom were deeply aggrieved by the constant raiding of the Nyxian pirates! The scum never initiated a battle they could never win and only made a move when they were assured of their superiority!

Ves spread his arms. "None of this is fair. Yet this is the reality for too many people. Should we surrender against this injustice? Should we accept the inevitable and incur these losses without complaint? I say NO!"

His passion roused as he presented a portion of his vision!

"Pirates and criminals are not impervious! Just because they have the edge in numbers or quality of mechs doesn't mean you have to resort to economically unviable solutions to defeat them! There is a much better counter against these kinds of poorly-trained opponents, and it begins by targeting their mech pilots rather than their mechs!"

Ves clapped his hand. The impact rang loud throughout the hall, amplified by the speakers embedded in the walls, floor and ceiling! "Before I proceed any further, I would like to hold a little dare."

A portion of the dark hall lit up a bit. The wide and noticeable empty space before the podium began to shine with a gentle white light, giving it the illusion that it became a sanctuary!

"I would like to invite an invitation to all of you vetted guests. If you are confident in yourself and don't mind a challenge, I would like to dare you to stand in the illuminated zone for ten minutes starting from the moment I unveil our new mech design. Those who are able to stand straight for the entire duration will receive a handsome reward! As long as you pass this simple challenge, you will each receive a free silver label copy of the mech in question, courtesy of the Living Mech Company!"

A large commotion formed after he made this explosive announcement! While the people who were able to attend this highly-anticipated product reveal were no simple people, the reward was incredibly attractive to certain people!

The older and more established nobles in the audience all rested confidently in their seats. They had no intention of risking their reputation to take part in this unknown challenge. What if they failed? What if they humiliated themselves? Everyone present knew that this entire announcement was being broadcasted live through the entire Yeina Star Cluster! Anyone who performed shamefully in front of such a huge audience could practically kiss their prestige goodbye!

Some of the younger nobles looked intrigued, though. Unlike the older generation, they weren't rulers of planets or commanders of legions. They still had to do much to prove themselves, and taking part in this interesting challenge sounded like a good way to stand out from their peers!

Even if they failed, it was no big deal. In their circle, regardless of the outcome, it was better to show bravery than cowardice!

Before the younger scions rose from their seats, a moderate group was already making their way to the front of the hall.

Many of them were uniforms of all kinds. None of them matched the clean and tight aesthetic that was most common to military uniforms, but it was very evident that they were all warriors of sorts.

This group mostly consisted of mech commanders and owners of various armed organizations.

These individuals were not as wealthy as landed nobles, but valued mechs just as much! Their poorer finances and their higher sensitivity towards bargains made them much more willing to accept this mysterious challenge!

Soon enough, a large variety of people entered the lighted zone. Ves mentally kept track of the numbers through the information feed transmitted to his implant.

After fifteen minutes of discussion and shuffling, almost six-hundred attendants accepted the challenge.

Mech commanders, mech captains, veteran soldiers, ambitious nobles, adventurous businessmen, respected mech designers, foolhardy journalists and more all believed they had what it took or just wanted to obtain a free mech!

Even if they weren't mech pilots or didn't have a use of such a machine, they could always sell it and earn a handsome amount of money in the process!

All they had to do was to keep standing inside the lightened, rectangular zone!

Ves smiled like a shark. He chuckled under his breath for what these gullible people were about to face!

"Well, I applaud your courage! Any of you who have chosen to stand in this zone will receive a consolation prize if you happen to fail. You can approach the LMC later in order to obtain the right to order the first batches of our new product!"

That was a small reward in order to mollify any sort of awful feelings that might follow. Just as Ves moved on, he suddenly paused and looked upwards.

Everyone else who watched Ves turned their heads up as well, only to discover something shocking!

The private box had opened up! Its floating occupant, surrounded by a couple of heavily-armed bodyguards, slowly drifted down from the air, all the while approaching the podium.

Almost everyone in attendance recognized this famous figure! Her face had been all over the local news these past few days!

Master Moira Willix had descended in person!

The eminent dignitary of the MTA maintained a neutral expression as she slowly dropped to the very front and center of the lighted zone.

The eager daredevils who used to stand on that spot quickly vacated it when they recognized that the Master was heading in their direction! A very noticeable circle of people had formed around her position!

"Master Willix.." Ves spoke up with a remarkable amount of restraint. "I do not believe a mech designer of your stature would compete over a free mech."

The Master stared at Ves in the face. "There is nothing in the rules that prohibit me from taking part."

If the audience wasn't so afraid of attracting the powerful Master's ire, everyone would have shouted already!

This strange challenge had suddenly become ten times as interesting! If even a vaunted Master participated in it, then there must be definitely something special about it! A couple of hundred more people rose from their seats!

Ves patiently maintained a smile on his face as he allowed the late-comers to enter the zone. He did not expect Master Willix to accept this juvenile prank of his! Even Gloriana started to squeeze his hand in worry!

"It's okay." He covertly communicated to her through their implant. "You've already seen her standing in front of our Doom Guard without exhibiting any strain. It will be fine!"

"If you say so, Ves…"

Regardless of this unexpected occurrence, the plan was still on track!

Once the excitement died down, Ves snapped his fingers.

A large timer projected above his head. It already began to count down the ten minutes of time the challengers needed to remain in the zone.

"Image a mech." He spoke as the podium darkened entirely, causing Ves and Gloriana to disappear in the dark. "It is a hefty mech, but with wings. It can fly in space and withstand a considerable amount of punishment from enemy fire."

The main hall began to rumble as a mech gradually strode forward with its immense bulk. The loud footsteps of this giant machine deliberately rippled the floor, causing the challengers to feel the vibration of the approaching mech!

A mech emerged from the backstage and stepped onto the huge and spacious podium. No one except for those with high-quality ocular implants were able to see the mech in the dark!

To the rest, the unknown mech that took its time to go forward was already making an impression without revealing its true nature!

It was then that its glow gradually emerged. Melkor, who piloted the mech in question, stretched out his finger and flicked a special switch.

The mech in the dark seemed to come alive. A sense of oppression and discordency began to emerge from the back of the podium.

The people standing within the lighted zone began to shift their weight around. They looked around with uncertainty and tried to question each other whether they weren't the only ones who felt uncomfortable!

The audience sitting in their seats further ahead weren't exempted from the glow either. Although the impact of the glow was weaker to those sitting in the back, even they couldn't escape the strange mental influence that gradually gained strength!

THUNK.

THUNK.

THUNK.

The metal feet of the mech slowly clanked against the surface of the podium as it gradually moved forward. Each step caused the floor to vibrate louder and louder. Even as the mech came closer, its fearsome glow began to gain more weight!

Ves grinned in the shadows. "Imagine a mech.. that is a monster!"